Coupling for fence posts and the like



March 4, 1930. J. c. SCHEELER L COUPLING FOR FENCE POSTS AND THE LIKEFiled Jan. 18, 1929 I Joni: o. sorInELER; on. 'BUFFALQIQNEWJYORKI,

Patented Mar. 4,

'oo. 11m, or BUFFALO, NE

: COUPLING FOR r'nivoia Poses AND THE,

Application filed J anuary 18, 1929} Serial N5 333,2(52.

V. This invention 'r'elates to aicoupling for de vtachablyfconnectingposts arranged atthe opposing ends ofport'able wire:fence sect ons and other-.flenclosures, such as wire guardsvhavinground 'iron.frarnes,' but it is to be understood that this couplingmaybe used forother analogous purposes.

1Theobject of 'thisinvention is the pro? vision of a coupling of thischaracterwhich iscomparatlvely simple and inexpensive in constructionandin which the mainielementsi are permanently connected as a unitwherebythe mounting of this coupling on the parts ground and c'onnectedattheiropposed vertical ends to beiconnected can be effected. more convenientlyand the several parts of -the same are to be scattered while the same Intheaccompanyingrlrawingsi Figure; 1 is a fragmentary elevation. of

.two adjacent sections of a portable wire fe'nce or "guardwhich have.been. erectechon, the

by couplings which are constructed in accordance with this improvement.

scale, ofthis coupling applied to the" end post of, two) fence sectionsor likestructure.

line 3-3 Fig. 2. 7

' "Figure 4' is aperspectiveview of cou-. plingin which the'severalparts thereof have.

been assembled in the normal: position which 7 they, occupy whilejinuse.

- Similar characters of reference in the lowing descriptionfindicatelike parts in the several views 'of the drawings.

1. which shows two secufactured. I

fol-

:R'e ferring to Fig.

'tiOns of a portable wire fence connectedby two couplingsmadeinaccordance with the present improvement, each of these sections consistsof a framehavingvupperandlower horizontalbars 10, 11, upright posts 12connecting the, correspondingends of saidhorizontal rods, and one ormore lntermedi- "ate posts 18' which connect the intermediate parts ofthese horizontal rods. .At its side by side and between opp'osit'e endsof Figure-12 is an elevation, on an enlarged facing inwardly while theconvex side's there- Atone end of theplate of face outwardly. aws 15, 16the same is provided Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken. on

y ing or bending the metal as this plate this pivotIeye-b' in toffacingoutwardly,

d'f-plate the same. is provided with;

ASSIGNOR TofBUrF-A Lo; WIRE woBKs i YORK, aoonronn rioiv or ni w $03Klower .end each of the provided with i a a downward extension l formingaspike or spur which is adapted'fto be driven into .7

the. ground forholding' therespective' fence w v section in an uprightposition. v

As 1s well known, these .fencesections beieither, placed end to end inline with each other, or at an angle relatively to one another, as bestsuits the particular character offence,

closure or pen which is desired tobe erected. When thus mounted on theground, the up-' right posts or rods 12 of two adjacent fence I sectionsare connected by one ormore cou- [plings which contain-the presentinvention.- Each ofthese' couplings is, preferably con-.; structed'asfol10ws Y The body ofthe coupling comprises two plates which intheir'normal operative position oppose each other and each of which ispreferably stamped or bent into corrugated the metal plates is bent toform two-semi;

'70-" form out of a single sheet of metal. One of H cylindricalgjaws15', 16,which are arranged having the 1 with a singlepivot eye'l'Z whichis formed.

intof'cylindrical form, preferably arranged midway betweenfithe' arearranged adjacentto the-upper andlowan intervening space', curling the-metal'of this plate; g

' Theothen' -l te is-Qbent to for:

"and i are "formed natwo semithis fplate', facing inwardly andtheconvex: s'idesjzthere At one end of the; last- Inentione er'edgesofvthisplate an 'd aref'separated by} i two pi'voteyes 21,21whicharearranged ad- I j acent to the upper andtlower edgesi of thisplate and are separated-byTan' intervening 1 l spaGe,-these13Slir1llt5l'ltl0ll6d eye'sbeing' formed 190":

cylindrical"jawsjl9y2O which are arranged side by side and intermediateOfthefen'dSo-f the concave sidesgof: these jaws I r eye 22 is formedmidway between the upper and lower edges of this plate, this locking eye22 being formed by bending or curling the metal of this plate.

These two coupling preferably plates are permanently connected byplacing the single pivot eye 17 of one of the plates between the doublepivot eyes 21 of the other plate so that these eyes are axially in linewith each other, and then inserting a pivot pin or pintle 23 throughthese eyes and upsetting the upper and lower ends thereof so that thispivot pin cannot be displaced, thereby per manently connecting the twocoupling plates but permitting them to swing reiatlvely to each otherfor spreading these plates apart or bringing them together. 7

When spread apart, these two plates can be passed along opposite sidesof two posts 12, 12 and thereafter these two plates are swung towardeach other so that the two jaws in eaoh plate engage with thecorresponding sides of two posts and the single locking eye 22 of oneplate enters thespace between the two locking eyes 18 of the otherplate, and the eyes of these two plates cross each other. 7 r While theplates are in. this position the same are interlocked at those endsthereof which are opposite the pivotally connected ends by inserting alocking pin 24 between the that the jaws are securely held in operativeengagement with opposite sides of the fence heavy pressure,v inasmuch asthe plates are connected with each other at theirv extremities wherebythe plates are prevented from spreading when-subjected to pressure uponbeing applied to the posts, thereby producing a better and strongerconnection between the adjacent fence sections.

Moreover, the two sections: or body plates of the coupling, due to thepermanent connection at one of the ends of theseplates, render the samepractically a unitaryconstruction whereby the main'parts of the same arenot liable to does not require posts or likemembers,

crossed eyes of the respective plates so be scattered and thereforematching up two plates as would be necessary if these plates weredetached. Obviously this facilitates the erection of av fence which is aconsiderable item in the matter of time when a fence of great length isbeing erected.

I claim as my invention 1. A coupling for connecting two fence posts orlike members, comprising two plates which normally oppose each other andeach of which is provided intermediate of its ends with two jaws adaptedto engagewith the corresponding sides of said members, means forpivotally connecting one of'the corresponding pairs of ends of theplates, and means for detachably connecting the other corresponding pairof ends of said plates.

2. A coupling for connecting two fence posts or like members, comprisingtwo plates which normally oppose each other and each of which isprovided intermediate of its ends with two jaws adapted to engage withthe corresponding sides of said members, pivot eyes arranged on one pairof the correspond ing ends of said plates, a pivot pin passing throughsaid eyes, looking eyes arranged on the other corresponding pair of endsof said platesand crossing each other, and a looking pin insertablebetween said crossed looking eyes.

3. A coupling for connecting two fence comprising two plates whichnormally oppose each other and each of which is provided intermediate ofits ends with two jaws adapted to engage with the corresponding sides ofsaid members, one of said plates being provided at one end with a singlepivot eye and the other plate being provided at the corresponding endwith two pivot eyes whichreceive between them said single pivot eye, apivot pin passing through said pivot eyes, one of said plates beingprovided at its opposite end with a single looking eye and the spondingend provided with two locking eyes other plate having the corre whichreceive said singlelocking eye between them, said locking eyes'crossingeach other in the assembled pos1t1on of said plates, and

a locking pin insertable between said crossed locking eyes.

In testimony whereof, I hereby affix my signature. V JOHN C. SCHEEL ER

